Assessing English Language Learners & Creating Accommodations for ELLs
It’s not uncommon for students to struggle with subjects like math and science. But sometimes the problem isn’t the math that they’re actually struggling with: It’s the language they’re being taught in. All too often, English language learners (ELLs) at nearly every level of the United States education system fall behind in school due to language gaps that make it difficult for them to fully understand the topics being explained in the classroom, whether it’s basic arithmetic in an elementary school math class or cell division in a high school biology course. This ultimately makes assessing English language learners a significant challenge for teachers to overcome.
While English language learners may perform well in subjects taught in their native languages, English-only instruction can delay their learning and lead to poor performance in subjects like math, science, history, and more.
Because of this, it’s critical for educators to conduct thorough and accurate assessments of their English language skills and development, so that they can provide ELLs with the extra support they need to make the most out of their education. At the same time, it’s also important to conduct fair content assessments to gauge how much of the classroom material they actually understand.
Fairly assessing English language learners is the key to providing an equitable education to students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. In this blog post, we’ll look at the basics of assessing English language learners’ mastery of classroom subject matter, covering the key challenges that might arise in grading the work of ELLs and the accommodations schools can make for ELLs in response to these assessments.
Who Are English Language Learners (ELLs)?
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 10% of students in US public schools are considered English language learners—that’s more than five million students. These numbers vary from state to state, with about 20% of Texas public school students classified as ELLs and just under 1% of West Virginia public school students.
But who exactly can be considered an English language learner? As the term suggests, an ELL is any student who is learning English as a second or other language. For example, a five-year-old who only speaks Spanish upon starting kindergarten in a US school would be classified as an ELL. In addition to these newcomers enrolling in school for the first time ever, ELLs make up a diverse community of learners, such as:
- Children of refugees who have recently relocated to the US
- High school students whose families recently immigrated to the US
- Students who have been enrolled in ELL programs for the majority of their schooling (i.e., long-term ELLs)
The vast majority of ELLs speak Spanish as their primary language—according to Colorín Colorado, which offers resources for teachers of ELLs, upwards of 70% of ELLs speak Spanish as their native tongue. But as a group, there are more than 400 different languages spoken by ELLs nationwide, with Arabic, Chinese, and Vietnamese making up a significant portion.
In short, ELLs make up a diverse group of students, from young learners enrolling in school for the first time to older students who have already taken classes in their native language in their home country.
Changes in Assessing ELLs
Assessing English language learners on their understanding of academic content presents unique challenges that often go beyond language proficiency. Limited proficiency in English can skew students’ results on tests and other classwork—for example, a student may have a strong understanding of the basic principles of mathematics, but if they aren’t able to read and understand instructions or word questions written in English, they’ll likely struggle to come up with the correct answer.
When it comes to standardized testing, these skewed results can have an impact on their academic future, such as whether or not they are placed in remedial or advanced courses later on (or even whether or not they’re held back at a certain grade level). Likewise, poor test results can even lead to a misdiagnosis of certain learning disabilities—a significant portion of ELLs are misdiagnosed with learning disorders, further delaying them from receiving an education at the level that they’re really at.
Additionally, teachers may not feel adequately prepared to support their ELLs in the classroom, and may struggle to determine which errors are a result of their linguistic abilities and which are a result of struggling with the actual material.
Principles of Fair Assessments for ELLs
Because the result of traditional assessments can be skewed by a student’s limited English proficiency, many ELLs find themselves at a disadvantage. That’s why it’s essential to design assessments that accurately reflect what students know and can do, independent of their English language development. Here are three principles of fair assessment for ELLs:
- Use multiple measures: Using a mix of formative assessments (like classwork and teacher observations), summative assessments (like unit tests), and performance-based evaluations (like projects or presentations) offers a more complete picture of an ELL’s abilities.
- Focus on content knowledge, not English fluency: A student who can’t articulate the life cycle of a frog in English might still understand the concept. Fair assessments for ELLs distinguish between content knowledge and English language skills. For example, offering sentence starters or visual aids can help students demonstrate what they know without being penalized for limited vocabulary or grammatical mistakes.
- Collaborate with ESL specialists: General education teachers shouldn’t have to go it alone when assessing English language learners. ESL specialists bring valuable insight into language development stages and can help adapt assessments to be more accessible while still aligned with learning objectives. By working together, educators can create assessments that are linguistically appropriate while still being academically rigorous.
Legal and Policy Framework
In addition to the principles outlined above for fairly assessing English language learners’ content mastery, there are several federal and state regulations that provide a framework for assessing English language learners:
- The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to develop their own accountability systems for ELLs to assess their linguistic progress and set timelines for these students to reach fluency in English.
- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act aims to reduce misdiagnosis of ELLs with learning disorders by requiring educational agencies to rule out limited English proficiency as the underlying reason for poor academic performance. ELLs who do have a learning disorder must have equal access to the same resources as their English-speaking counterparts.
Additionally, parents of ELLs (or former ELLs) may have limited English proficiency themselves. Federal regulations require schools to provide parents with adequate information about their children’s academic performance in their primary language—this means schools may need to provide interpreting services during parent-teacher conferences or translations of relevant documents, such as Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or translations of relevant documents.
Accommodations and Strategies for Assessing English Language Learners
When it comes time to test students on material learned in the classroom, there are several accommodations teachers can make for assessing English language learners, such as:
- Giving ELLs extra time to finish their work (i.e., allowing them to work on a test up to 15 minutes after the testing period has ended)
- Using simple, easy-to-understand instructions on quizzes
- Allowing students to use bilingual dictionaries or glossaries during assessments
- Translating test materials or other assessments into a student’s native language
Teachers should also consider the needs of their ELLs when developing the assessments themselves. By using thoughtful, inclusive strategies, educators can create assessments that are both accessible and academically rigorous for ELLs. Here are a few examples of classroom strategies to help educators with assessing English language learners:
- Scaffolded assessments: By breaking assignments up into manageable chunks for students to complete one at a time, teachers can identify points of misunderstanding for ELLs (and any student, really). This allows the teacher to intervene and provide additional support and clarification so that the student learns from their mistake.
- Peer support and collaborative learning: Pairing ELLs with peers for group projects or think-pair-share discussions allows them to build academic language in a lower-pressure setting while reinforcing content knowledge. Collaboration also gives teachers a chance to assess students through observation and informal dialogue, capturing a more complete picture of learning in progress.
- Rubrics that prioritize understanding over grammar: When grading ELLs' work, keep your expectations grounded and realistic—it’s unlikely that a high schooler who has only been learning English for a couple of months will be able to produce a grammatically error-free essay on Of Mice and Men. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t able to form interesting, coherent thoughts on the work. When grading ELLs, prioritize measures of understanding and critical thinking, rather than grammar and spelling.
- Portfolios and project-based assessments: These allow students to show growth over time, reflect on their own learning, and demonstrate deeper understanding through multiple formats—visuals, writing, oral presentations, and more. Plus, they offer a flexible way for teachers to assess learning in a way that aligns with both academic standards and language development goals.
Building a School-wide System for ELL Success
A successful education isn’t just about the student-teacher relationship—the school system is a network of students, teachers, administrators, parents, and other parties who must all come together to help children learn to the best of their ability.
It’s important to partner with parents of ELLs to ensure that they’re playing an active role in your child’s learning. Given that parents of ELLs often have limited English proficiency themselves, that means making accommodations to enable them to participate to the same extent as any other parent would, such as:
- Offering interpretation and translation services as needed (such as for parent-teacher conferences)
- Hiring bilingual administrative staff who can communicate with parents effectively
- Training your teachers and other staff on cultural competence so that they are able to interact smoothly with parents from different cultural backgrounds
These measures will help parents feel more involved in their child’s learning. But there are also measures administrators can take to make sure staff are able to provide thorough support to students:
- Providing staff with professional development training on assessing English language learners
- Utilize data tracking systems that consider both academic and language growth
- Fostering an inclusive school culture where multilingualism is seen as an asset
Together, faculty, staff, and parents can work to ensure that your school is assessing English language learners fairly and accurately.
Summary
Assessing English language learners isn’t always easy—teachers have to make certain accommodations and modifications to assessments, which can be especially time-consuming on top of the other expectations of school teachers. But these adjustments are absolutely critical to ensuring fair and equitable access to education for all children.
Accommodations in assessing English language learners aren’t just “special treatment.” They’re a matter of equity and inclusion. By adopting assessment strategies that accurately evaluate your students’ knowledge, you can make sure they’re getting the most out of their education.
Looking to improve how your school supports ELLs? Start by rethinking your assessment and accommodation strategies with equity in mind. At Avantpage, we can provide consultation on language access and language services such as translations and interpretation to help you support the students who need it most. Fill out this form today for a free quote or contact us at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 to learn more.
